Late night phone calls
by magenta blues
Summary: set in the near distant future. various characters
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from slam dunk.  
  
He could hear her breathing, so even and rhythmic. It was strangely in time with the silence of the night. A slight breeze blew through the curtains, causing their silken waves to fall and crash against the window panes ever so gently. He was nice and warm in bed, with a beautiful girl beside him. Everything was perfect.  
  
Too perfect.  
  
Mitsui stared blankly at the white ceiling. He had been trying to get himself to sleep for the past four hours. Each attempt was obviously unsuccessful. Letting out a little hiss of frustration, Mitsui pulled himself out of bed, taking careful measures not to shake the bed, lest the sleeping form beside him awakes.  
  
He stood by the bedside for a moment, gazing at the girl on his bed. She even looked angelic in her sleep. She was beautiful. And he was very, very, very lucky to have her.  
  
Yet he couldn't bring himself to say those three words to her tonight.  
  
He closed his eyes for a moment and relived the night.  
  
~  
  
They had gone out for dinner again, as they did every night. They ate at Le Clachet, the restaurant they often frequented and sat at their usual spot. She had ordered his meal for him, already accustomed to his eating habits. They had talked and chatted, the conversation really going nowhere; everything would have gone as it normally should.  
  
Til she turned to look at him adoringly and said those three words.  
  
His mouth went dry at that point in time. And the silence that ensued was awkward. Her smile faded as she realized that he had nothing to say, that he was unable to reciprocate her feelings.  
  
"Uh... thanks, I like you too," Mitsui said finally. His words obviously cut her more. He could tell from the wounded expression on her face.  
  
They quickly paid the check and returned back to his place  
  
~  
  
Mitsui opened his eyes. Why couldn't he have told her those words? He had been wrestling with this question for the past four hours. Did he not love her? Was he not happy with her?  
  
Sighing, Mitsui quietly padded his way out of the room. Four hours of contemplation and he had still come up with nothing. Making his way to the kitchen, he set down his favourite red bowl and poured himself a bowl of cereal. As he munched on the flakes of cereal, he knew that he could only get some sleep if he got the issue off his chest. He reached across the kitchen counter for the cordless phone and punched in a number that he knew by heart.  
  
~  
  
"Helllloooo?" A sleepy voice on the other end said  
  
"Hey you, did I wake you?" Mitsui said, an easy grin slipping onto his face as he imagined her reaction to his question.  
  
"Mitsui?" The female voice was agitated now. "Did you wake me? No, no... of course not... I love to be woken up at..." Mitsui could hear her scuffling for her clock now. "at 3.54am in the morning."  
  
"I knew you would, Ayako." Mitsui teased and enjoyed hearing the strangled sounds that followed on the other end.  
  
"You have 30 seconds to make this call worthwhile..." Ayako threatened.  
  
"I couldn't sleep," Mitsui said, his formerly light-hearted tone turned serious.  
  
"19 seconds left..."  
  
"Aya, Sheryl told me she loved me tonight." Mitsui said.  
  
There was silence on the other end as this information sank in.  
  
"And you couldn't reply her." Ayako finally said.  
  
"Yeah, and I don't know why I couldn't."  
  
"Go on,"  
  
"I think I love her, but ... I don't know, I mean we have fun and all, and she's great to be with but... I don't know if I love her. I mean we've been together for 1 and a half years, you'd think a guy would know by now right? But ..."  
  
"Hisashi, did you feel like you were lying if you said those three words?" Mitsui remained silent at this.  
  
"Maybe," he conceded.  
  
"Can you see yourself with her down the road?"  
  
"I guess, who else am I going to be with?" "Hisashi, do you really love her for her? Do you see yourself wanting to be the guy that can help her be the best she can be and love her even despite her flaws?"  
  
He grew silent at this point and she could tell that he was seriously considering her questions.  
  
She broke the silence first. Despite the fact that Ayako truly wanted to help her former sempai, sleep was overtaking her and she had a presentation to do the next day.  
  
"I think you do know the answer at this point, but maybe you don't want to embrace it," Ayako said gently.  
  
"Yeah," Mitsui replied hoarsely.  
  
"Let's talk more tomorrow ok? We'll meet for breakfast or something. Jimmy's at 9?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Ok, I'll see you then. And Hisashi? Don't ... just take care of yourself ok? You have to look out for your best interests too."  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
They exchanged their goodbyes on the phone. Mitsui hung on til he heard the soft click on the other side. Perhaps he had known all along, but needed someone else to confirm it. He had known, he had known. But he had been afraid.  
  
Wearily, Mitsui grabbed some sheets from the nearby cupboard and made his way to the living room. He needed to get some rest. And tonight, he would sleep on the couch. 


	2. chapter 2

Disclaimer: Again I don't own slam dunk or any of the characters here.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
289... 290... 291... 292 sheep  
  
Damn I shouldn't have drunk that third cup of coffee.  
  
Akagi Takenori cursed underneath his breath. He knew he shouldn't have gotten that last cup of coffee... if it wasn't for the fact that he was so smitten with the cute little waitress in the very fetching short skirt... He had been frequenting the quaint but homey café at the corner of Sakura Street for five days now, and yet he still had not worked up the nerve to ask her for her number. He, the so-called Gorilla who managed to strike fear in the hearts of most men, he whose very footsteps and thunderous voice were enough to make many a gentlemen quake with great trepidation; turned into an utter ball of mush every time he saw a certain cute brunette in a frilly white apron and striped uniform.  
  
300, 301... 302...  
  
Please Kami-sama, grant me some sleep.  
  
311, 312, 313... ... RIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG  
  
What the?  
  
Instinctively, Akagi's hand reached out for the light switch. He groped around in the dark blindly, his hand coming into contact with nothing but air and the occasional random object situated on his bedside table  
  
Who the hell would call at this hour?  
  
Flipping on the lights, Akagi tried to adjust to the sudden brightness that flooded the previously dark room. He stumbled towards the phone, his irritation increasing at its incessant tone. Every ring brought his blood pressure to a new high. He swiped at the receiver, and put on the gruffest voice he could muster at that late hour.  
  
"Takenori," Akagi bellowed. He planned to give whoever it was on the other end a good dressing down for having the impudence and stupidity to call at this unearthly hour of the night.  
  
Seconds later, he found himself holding the receiver a few inches away from his ear as a shrill voice greeted him on the other end.  
  
"Onee-Chan!!!!"  
  
"Haruko?"Akagi said, wincing slightly at his sister's shrill voice. Then his expression grew serious. "Nani, Haruko what's wrong? Did anything happen? Why are you calling at this hour?"  
  
He was answered by quick, short, heavy breathing on the other end. It was almost as if his sister was on the verge of hyperventilating.  
  
"Onee-chan!! Guess what? I'm engaged!! Sakuragi just proposed! I'm going to become Mrs Sakuragi Haruko!!" At this point Akagi had to hold the phone away from his ear again as his sister started screaming.  
  
Thrilling.  
  
"Congratulations Haruko. I am happy for you," Akagi said with genuine warmth and brotherly affection. He didn't mind Sakuragi, in fact, he kind of grew to like the incorrigible redhead. He knew that Sakuragi would never do anything to hurt his little sister.  
  
And if he ever did, Akagi would make sure that he would break every single bone present in the redhead's body.  
  
"Haruko, put Sakuragi on the phone," Akagi said gently, careful not to give away the fact that his dear sister's high pitched squealing was indeed giving him a massive headache.  
  
"Nyahahaha, Gori! I mean I should call you brother... congratulate me!"  
  
Akagi raised an eyebrow. He wasn't quite that ready to be called "brother" by Sakuragi yet. He was happy that Hanamichi had proposed to his little sister. But the idea of being related to that baka... was still something that he needed time to get use to.  
  
"Just one thing I have to say Sakuragi,"  
  
"Nyahahaha... go ahead, Gori, I mean brother!"  
  
"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU STILL DOING AT MY SISTER'S APARTMENT THIS LATE AT NIGHT?"  
  
To his satisfaction, Akagi heard a stunned silence on the other end. He allowed himself a little smirk then. 


	3. chapter 3

Disclaimer: Once again I don't own Slam Dunk or the following characters.  
  
"Thank you for flying Japan Air, we hope you had a nice flight."  
  
Kogure barely registered the air stewardess' words as he alighted from the Boeing 747 aircraft. His good bearing stopped him though, and at the last second, he remembered his manners and gave an imperceptible nod to the stewardess, followed by a curt "thank you". Thereafter, he continued to make his way to the customs area, taking brisk, long, purposeful stride.  
  
He ignored the occasional bounce of his leather Armani briefcase against his thigh, and the approving looks of many attractive females. At 26, Kogure Kiminobu was at the height of his career. An accomplished businessman who held two degrees, one a Bachelor of Commerce for Finance and the other a Bachelor of Arts for English, Kogure had successfully navigated his way into a lucrative business. He had just struck another deal with the filthy rich tycoons of Brazil and was set to leave Japan in five days' time again, this time to pay a visit to his company's factories in India. No one would have guessed that this impeccably dressed, confident young man used to be a nerdy, shy, bespectacled boy who often had to play peacemaker in the most notorious basketball team.  
  
Tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for his luggage at the baggage claim area, Kogure began to mentally outline his short stay in Japan. 'Back to the office tomorrow, settle some paperwork, lunch with Boss Tanaka...'  
  
Kogure was jolted out of his thoughts though as he felt an insistent buzz in his pant's pocket. Whipping out his cell phone, Kogure squinted warily at the unknown number.  
  
Who would call him at this late hour? His plane had landed at 4 am and he did not recall telling anyone about his trip back to Japan. Kogure mulled over these questions before receiving the call.  
  
"Hello?" Kogure said, trying hard not to give away the question in his voice.  
  
Perhaps it was a wrong number.  
  
"Kogure-no-baka! You didn't tell me you were coming back to Japan!"  
  
Scratch that. The guy knew his name.  
  
The voice was vaguely familiar anyway.  
  
"Nani? Who is this?" Kogure asked cautiously.  
  
"You really are a baka if you don't remember me man!" The voice on the other end snorted.  
  
"Perhaps. My brain isn't always very good at accessing its storehouse of memory at unearthly hours of the night, much less after having flown an 11 hour flight." Kogure said dryly.  
  
"Well... guess."  
  
Kogure rubbed his temples. The caller on the other end was really starting to annoy him.  
  
"Akagi." Kogure said lamely, knowing that the person on the other end was a far cry from his former team captain.  
  
His answer was met with explosive laughter on the other end.  
  
"I sound like AKAGI??!! Come on Kogure-san, you can do better than that."  
  
"Takani Shouji." Kogure tried again.  
  
"Eh? Shouji? Who's that? I'll have to look that up, yo-check-ya"  
  
This time Kogure knew who was on the other end. He should have known. Only one person could have known his business schedule, travels plan and cell phone number.  
  
And only one person could have been so annoying as to make him play a guessing game at 4.10am in the morning.  
  
His company's one and only business informant...  
  
"Hikoichi."  
  
"I was wondering when you were going to guess my name, welcome home Sempai."  
  
I'm... ... home 


	4. chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own slam dunk or its characters.  
  
Chapter 4: Early Morning Conversations  
  
Tapping her foot lightly against the parquet floor, a young woman in her twenties tried to ignore the insistent growl in her tummy. Grimacing slightly, the curly haired brunette tried to tuck in her stomach in an effort to quiet or at least reduce the growing rumble emanating from that area. The young woman carefully averted her gaze away from the surrounding diners who were happily digging into their morning meals, and the busy waiters who kept bringing out trays after trays of hot steaming food. She chose instead, to focus on the human traffic outside, all the while making a silent prayer for him to come quickly.  
  
She frowned as a loud rumble erupted from her tummy, but quickly assumed a nonchalant stance when some nearby patrons threw questioning glances in her direction.  
  
"Damn you Mitsui, you had better come soon before my stomach roars this entire building down," Ayako muttered. Just then, the man in question entered through the gleaming glass doors of the café. An easy grin now graced the lips that previously held a frown.  
  
"Sorry, things were pretty rough this morning," Mitsui said wearily, running a hand through his short jet black hair. Ayako nodded sympathetically and gave his free hand a quick squeeze.  
  
"Have you ordered yet?" Mitsui asked whilst waving his hand in the air to attract the attention of a nearby waiter. Ayako shook her head, smiling slightly as she recalled the number of times her stomach had growled throughout the 'waiting period'.  
  
"It's ok, I don't need the menu," Mitsui said, shaking his head as the waiter offered him the long brown book with gold lettering embossed on its cover. "I'll have Jimmy's Special, with hash browns instead of mashed potatoes and I would like my eggs to be..."  
  
"... sunny side up and black coffee with no sugar," Ayako finished for him, smirking a little when Mitsui raised his eyebrows.  
  
"I had no idea I was that predictable." Mitsui quipped.  
  
"Only because you've ordered the same thing the last 8 times we've eaten here," Ayako said before turning her attention to the waiter. "I'll have..."  
  
"Toast with jam and butter, whole wheat bread for the toast and chamomile tea to drink" Mitsui guessed. Ayako's eyes widened as the waiter furiously scribbled down their orders.  
  
"I'm not the only predictable one around here it seems." Mitsui said and leaned back in his chair.  
  
"I guess not," Ayako murmured softly. The waiter's eyes darted from her face to his, and after ascertaining that neither was going to continue with any more orders, he quietly took his leave.  
  
"So... what's going to happen between you and Sheryl?" Ayako inquired, wasting no time at all in bringing forth the subject of main concern. She took a sip of water as she waited for Mitsui's reply, her eyes carefully watching his face for any signs of distress or discomfort, over the raised glass.  
  
Sighing, Mitsui sat forward in his chair.  
  
"What else? It's over between us. I told her the truth that I was unable to say the same three words to her because I honestly wasn't sure of how I felt towards her."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And she freaked out. She said stuff like how she gave up so much for me and I still wasn't sure? She wants to settle down and start a family, but she doesn't want to do that with someone who isn't sure about the status of their relationship... i.e. me" Mitsui replied.  
  
"And how do you feel about this?"  
  
"What? Her leaving me? Ambivalent, indifferent, confused. I am hurting a little, I mean we've been together for some time, I did develop some feelings towards her... I'm just not sure if those feelings are love," Mitsui confessed.  
  
For a while, the two of them sat in silence. Yet Mitsui felt that the silence brought more comfort than actual words could.  
  
"Well I think it was good that you told her what was on your heart. You shouldn't lie or keep things secret from each other." Ayako said finally. Mitsui smiled sadly.  
  
"Too bad she doesn't see it that way. Hn... maybe I should adopt your policy and just stay single all the way," Mitsui joked, trying to alleviate their sober mood.  
  
"Ha, you wouldn't be able to survive." Ayako declared confidently. Mitsui raised an eyebrow but was prevented from refuting her comment as the waiter arrived with their dishes and drinks.  
  
"And just how do you survive then? I don't believe that you don't need anyone."  
  
"I don't."  
  
"Right... I don't buy that. Someday some guy's gonna come and knock you off your feet. And on that day, I'll be there to remind you who came up with this amazing prediction first." Mitsui said and began to devour his meal.  
  
Ayako merely smiled and shook her head as she buttered her toast. Their early morning banter ceased there and the two remained in companionable silence as they hungrily consumed their meal.  
  
In the midst of their breakfast, Ayako thought she spotted a familiar hulking figure enter through the glass doors. He was quickly attended to by a cute brunette waitress who seated him at a table not too far from where Mitsui and Ayako were situated. Ayako's sharp ears picked up the man's gruff orders for "the usual vanilla latte" and she nearly spat out her drink as recognition dawned upon her.  
  
"Akagi Sempai?!" Ayako called out from their table. Mitsui stopped eating and dropped his jaw open in shock. With his fork dangling in mid-air, Mitsui followed Ayako's gaze and sure enough, he found himself staring at his former team captain who strangely, looked embarrassed at being caught in the same café as them. Before Mitsui could say anything, Ayako had already invited Akagi over to their table.  
  
"Sempai! I didn't know you ate at Jimmy's too!" Ayako said excitedly.  
  
"I, um, enjoy the coffee here," Akagi said. Mitsui shook his head. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Akagi was mortified that Ayako and Mitsui had spotted him.  
  
"So what is up with you these days?" Ayako said, oblivious to Akagi's discomfort. Then again, that girl had a tendency to play on other peoples' uneasiness and assume a mask of ignorance when she was actually aware of the other's feelings.  
  
"Uh well... Haruko and Sakuragi are getting married, and she wants you to be one of her bridesmaids," Akagi said and then turned to Mitsui, "and Sakuragi wants you to be his chauffeur."  
  
"NANI?" Mitsui exclaimed. Trust Sakuragi to give him the unglamorous menial jobs. Mitsui silently swore under his breath. Just then, a pretty waitress came by.  
  
"Ah, Takenori-san, here's your latte." She said sweetly. Mitsui blinked as he noticed how Akagi's face turned several shades redder. It was impossible after that for him to miss the lingering gaze Akagi held at the waitress' retreating back.  
  
It was then that Mitsui understood the reasons for Akagi's earlier embarrassment and for the first time, Mitsui conceded that Akagi Takenori was human after all.  
  
A/N: I apologise for the lengthiness and amount of dialogue in this one. Thanks for the reviews by the way! They're greatly appreciated and fuel for me to write more! 


	5. chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk or its characters.

Akagi Takenori wondered for the ten thousandth time what his sister, Akagi Haruko, ever saw in that no-brain, violent, uncouth, ill-mannered, loud-mouthed Sakuragi.

Well, other than the fact that Sakuragi Hanamichi was a very decent and caring guy who loved his sister to bits and would literally go to the ends of the earth at her bidding. The redhead would lay down his life for Haruko and would punch the next person's lights out should he dare harm a hair on her fair head. These were the redeeming qualities of Sakuragi that had swayed Akagi into giving his consent and approval over Haruko's hand in marriage.

Still, Akagi Takenori must have still been pretty out of it the day he agreed to let Sakuragi Hanamichi be his brother-in-law. It must have been due to all that darn coffee he had been drinking lately, that stuff was probably lethal, intoxicating.

Or maybe it was the waitress that served it who was really intoxicating.

'Damn her short skirt.'

Akagi leaned back in his chair and stretched. It had been such a long day. Bumping into Mitsui and Ayako at Jimmy's, attending his company's annual general meeting, planning Haruko's and Sakuragi's wedding. Akagi glowered as he recalled how Sakuragi had lost the rings at the bakery. The _idiot_ somehow managed to misplace the rings and conveniently drop them into the cake assembly line. They had to go through boxes and boxes of cake, polishing one after the other to find the rings. After six cakes and feelings of nausea all around, Sakuragi's best man, Yohei, managed to bite down on the rings.

Akagi nearly throttled Sakuragi for his carelessness. Especially when he found out the exact amount that Sakuragi paid for the rings and how much they were worth.

"Maybe, I should have," Akagi mused; chuckling to himself as an image of him pounding the redhead right on the head emerged in his mind. As he continued daydreaming, a lovely vision of the cute brunette waitress appeared. The elegant beauty cheered him on in his dream as he continued to slap or rather, _punch_ some sense into Sakuragi.

Just then, the phone rang, disrupting Akagi's happy reverie.

"Nani? Won't anyone ever let me rest?"Akagi grumbled. He grabbed the phone and spoke gruffly into it.

"Akagi." Akagi said in what he hoped was his most intimidating voice. He wanted to make the person on the other end cower for interrupting his perfect daydream.

"Konichiwa! I am from JoJo Telex Services. We are conducting a survey and… …"

"Not interested," Akagi said quickly. Just his luck, one of those pesky call-centre people.

"Oh I think you will be interested sir, we also include a lucky draw at the end! You complete the survey and you can enter into the lucky draw. You… …" the caller continued brightly. Akagi could literally envision the fake plastic smile on the caller's face.

"Sorry, I'm busy." Akagi said through gritted teeth. Why on earth did he always get the persistent sales people?

"Oh but I haven't told you what you stand to win yet! If you enter the draw…" Akagi could feel the heat rise up his face. It was obvious more extreme measures were necessary to convince the caller of Akagi's stance on situation.

"I AM NOT INTERESTED!" Akagi roared in full Gori-like glory.

"M-matte, I didn't understand earlier," the caller managed to squeak out and quickly hung up.

Satisfied, Akagi replaced the receiver. 'Nothing like a little diplomatic persuasion,' Akagi thought to himself.

He had only taken two steps when the phone rang again. Akagi raised his eyebrow. Apparently, that pesky salesman needed another demonstration of Akagi's wrath.

Snatching up the line, Akagi snapped into the phone.

"Look, I am not the least bit interested ok!"

"Well, that is a little too bad then." Akagi cocked his ear. That voice was vaguely familiar, it had a velvety quality to it, like the words just rolled off her tongue.

'_Her_ tongue. Oh my god.' Akagi nearly dropped the phone as he connected the dots in his head.

"You see, I went through all this trouble to get this number from Ayako, one of our regulars at Jimmy's, and I've noticed you around, I was hoping we could get… acquainted." The sultry voice on the other end said.

And with that, Akagi almost stopped breathing.

Almost.

Author's notes: Hi, I hope you guys could review this. It was a little chapter I threw together in the midst of studying. Do let me know your comments. Thanks.


End file.
